EVANS, THOMAS (1714? - 1779), Independent minister

Born at Mynyddislwyn, Monmouthshire. He was converted by James Davies (died 1760), joined the church of Penmain, began preaching, and was at Haverfordwest Academy under Evan Davies, 1741-3. In 1743, he accepted a call from the ' Merionethshire Church,' by that time localized at Llanuwchllyn, but was not ordained till 19 June 1745 (Y Cofiadur, 1923 - from the Cilgwyn church book). He lodged at Tal-ardd in Cynllwyd (where Howel Harris stayed on his first visit to Llanuwchllyn, in 1740), married a sister of Thomas Owen of Tal-ardd, and kept a good school there. The chapel at Rhos-y-fedwen (the first in Merioneth) was built in 1745-6. In 1756 or 1757, Evans removed to Denbigh; the records of his period there are very defective, but he was certainly there in 1762 (Jeremy's list of ministers, NLW MS 362A ), and he probably remained till 1764, for his predecessor at Mixenden, Yorkshire, died in 1763, From 1764 till his death, 25 May 1779, 'aged 65,' Evans was at Mixenden, living in ' The Old Hall ' and keeping school there. He was regarded as an Arian. He is believed to have started the first Sunday school in Yorkshire. In his will, he left an endowment to his old congregation at Penmain, for the augmentation of the ministers' stipend.

Author

• Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, (1881 - 1969)

Sources

• Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru, i, 23, 413, iv, 44
• R. T. Jenkins, Hanes Cynulleidfa Hen Gapel Llanuwchllyn (1937), 1937, 82-4
• Miall, Congregationalism in Yorkshire a chapter of modern church history (1868), 318

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20734446

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/